MSC Meraviglia corona case

[rkacruiser]

33 minutes ago, rattanchair said:

Dear nep,  I agree and confidence should be rebuilt by every cruise line that has been hit with Cov-19.

  When MSC was "hit" by a terrorist attack years ago, on its Achille Lauro, it took action by using Israeli security to this day. Something akin needs to be taken again by the new leadership of MSC and follow in the footsteps of their past great leadership to thwart this and future biological threats to their industry.

 

A maritime history lesson for me this evening:  I never knew that there was any connection, although somewhat remote, between MSC and Achille Lauro.

[neptuno]

According to Wikipedia, Lauro lines went bankrupt and the Achille Lauro was taken over under a charter agreement by Chandris Lines (now Celebrity) in 1985 shortly before the hijacking.

[rattanchair]

45 minutes ago, neptuno said:

According to Wikipedia,

Achille Lauro (Italian pronunciation: [aˈkilːe ˈlauro]; 16 June 1887 – 15 November 1982) was an Italian businessman and politician.

Life

Born the fifth of six children of the shipowner Gioacchino and of Laura Cafiero, he was on his part the shipowner and founder of the Flotta Lauro, one of the most powerful Italian fleets of all time and one of the major fortunes in the south of Italy, in addition to the owner of a true financial empire created by himself.

Dear nep,  In June aboard the beautiful Seaside, we had the the pleasure of speaking with Capt. Massa as he made the rounds of a delightful Cruise Critic Meet and Mingle. We spoke about old time favorite ships and cruise lines now gone. I made mention that the old Home Lines Atlantic was our favorite and he perked right up saying he was the captain of the Atlantic. He whipped out his cell phone to show us pictures of his Atlantic being stripped of its metal now (I think it was Bangladesh). I asked him about the Achille Lauro and he misheard me and began speaking about the founder of MSC, Achille Lauro, who he said was a ship's captain as well. It was his namesake vessel that was attacked by terrorists. I notice Wikipedia left a lot out. As you might notice Mr. Lauro died in 1982, three years before the attack.

Edited April 18, 2020 by rattanchair

[rkacruiser]

6 hours ago, rattanchair said:

I made mention that the old Home Lines Atlantic was our favorite and he perked right up saying he was the captain of the Atlantic.

 

There were so many Italian Captains and Officers of some of the former cruise ships who are still sailing.  It's a delight to be able to still meet some of these gentlemen.  

 

My comment also applies to some of the Masters of other ships on which I have sailed.  

[neptuno]

Reportedly, the Achille Lauro eventually burned and sank under MSC ownership.  We all hope that MSC can re-elevate its cruise brand to command the respect of those it supposedly serves,  its customers.  Our experience with MSC over nearly a decade has been frustrated by a lack of organization at the customer service level here in North America.  Cannot speak as to their European corporate operation in the cruise business, but they certainly know how to move cargo.